“I hate to bring it up…”
“What?”
“That yakuza gang you got tangled up with. What was their name?”
“Oguchi. Why?”
“What’s that mean? Does it have a catchy little number rhyme to go with it?”
“The organization’s name was Oguchi, which generally means ‘big mouth.’ But the boss’s family name was Sandoh.” June’s skin crawled just saying the name out loud. She thought about the numbers, trying to force her brain into working like a computer, sifting through dozens of combinations of sounds and the numbers that might go with them. There wasn’t much that she could think of. She looked at him as they walked.
“Why?” she asked.
“Never mind. Just curious.”
They were getting closer to Seattle Center. The Space Needle loomed overhead, crowds of people swarming toward the park’s many entrances. It was still a little noisy, but less vehicle traffic than before, making it easier to talk. June had things she wanted to discuss. She started out easy with him.
“How long has it been since you’ve just gone for a walk like this?” she asked.
Jack thought for a moment. “Unescorted? Years. I don’t drive much anywhere, I don’t play sports, and you’ve seen the kind of dates I’m allowed to have lately.”
“That was kinda weird last night.”
He nodded. “Even though I’m only a candidate right now, I still have little time for myself. And forget about freedom to come and go. Every little detail of my day is planned out by a campaign manager and assistants, from meals to meetings to when and where I can take a crap. This whole weekend is like a vacation for me.”
“Ha!”
“And talking to people is a pain. Everybody is suspected of being a part of the media, or worse. Everything I say has to be carefully measured so I don’t hurt someone’s feelings. It’s impossible to be in favor of anything, because as soon as I am, it means to someone somewhere I’m against them.”
June thought about it for a moment. Speeches were carefully worded. Since he had returned to media attention in the last few months, June had become a bit of a Jack Melendez junkie. She had caught all his speeches on television. Seen the image he wanted to project. There was an entirely different side to Jack that the public would never get to see.
“Will it always be like that? So much chaperoning of your life?” she asked.
“For the next few years at least,” he said. “Especially if I stay in the public life. If I get elected, I can kiss private life goodbye.”
As quickly as that, she had got to where she wanted in the conversation. The next part would be tricky. “You were a state senator for a while,” June said. “Then ambassador, and now presidential candidate. It must be difficult to stay out of the spotlight once you’ve discovered it.”
“I could get used to it again,” he said. He let go of her hand and put his arm around her back. She did the same, which slowed their pace into a window-shopping stroll. “But there are still a lot of things I can do, things I can help make better. And there will always be the expectation that I never really fall off the map entirely.”
“Like Jimmy Carter.”
“Exactly like him. He’s still expected to make public appearances.”
“And builds houses in his spare time,” June said. This conversation had given her something to think about. “Do you think you’d run again if this campaign doesn’t work out?”
“One day at a time.” Jack looked directly at her. “One speech at a time, one primary at a time, one election at a time. I can only view it that way, whatever it might turn out to be.”
June regretted starting the conversation down this road. Amy was right when she said Jack Melendez was riding a cushion of support in the country. His focus had to be on the campaign. But right now, this was a path she had little interest in following. She needed to turn the conversation somewhere else before it got away from her.
“Do I smell something?” she asked, sniffing the air. She caught the scents of meat cooking. Maybe there was a vegetarian option nearby. “I haven’t eaten much yet today.”
His hand went up to her shoulder and caressed her neck. “You’re appetite was certainly healthy this morning.” He nudged her toward an open plaza area filled with people, just a few blocks from Seattle Center park. “Come on. If I remember correctly, that’s a mall of some sort.”
The sound of car horns and the traffic parted. Through the gap, three police cars raced down the road in the direction of the park. From another direction came the wail of fire engines, one right after the other, followed by paramedics. They were all heading for the same place.